Curated OER
Measuring Elevation
Students practice measuring elevation, one of the key coordinates used by astronomers. They describe how the elevation of an object is measured.
and combine compass directions and elevation to find celestial objects.
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My Place In Space
The purpose of this unit is for students to make the rich set of connections between astronomy and the rest of science and technology, language arts, cultural studies (social studies), math, art, and music.
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CHARTING A COURSE
Students model how a gyroscope works with string, an old phonograph record and crayon.
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Modeling the Seasons
Junior geologists become the force that makes the world go around! With a lamp on the floor in the middle of the room to represent the sun, volunteers hold a globe, revolve, and rotate. Observers notice how the light hitting the globe...
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SUBMARINE MOUNTAINS
Students create a two-dimensional contour map of a submerged area from a simulated survey using sounding techniques.
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Swinging on a Star
Students explore the issues that might arise if humans were to go on an interstellar space mission. They synthesize their understanding of interstellar travel by writing scenes from a science fiction novel that would depict such a mission.
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Follow the Sun
Students use a simple model of the Earth and Sun as seen from space to explore the sun's apparent movement across the sky over the course of a day and year. They consider the apparent direction of movement and changes in the sun's angle.
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Sweet Candy Comets
Fourth graders use candy to make a comet. In this lesson, 4th graders examine the role comets have played throughout history, students watch NASA videos about comets and complete the lesson by making an edible model of a comet. This...
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Spaced Out
Students explore the transit of Venus and the information that this minieclipse provides about the distance between the Earth and the sun. They create their own astronomical units.
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Reasons for Seasons
Young scholars track photoperiod (daylight hours) over time and predict how daylight change during different seasons. This helps build their understanding that ever-changing daylight is the driving force for migrations and all other...
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Heating Up: Direct and Indirect Sunlight
Students, by conducting simulations, explore the effects of direct and indirect sunlight on heating of the Earth.
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Coordinate Graphs
Students use coordinate graphs in order to identify objects and their locations. They are shown how to plot the x and y coordinates and then are given values to be plotted during guided and independent practice. Students are assessed on...
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Model Professionals
Students learn about one scientist's quest to make her field of canopy ecology accessible to a wider audience and to synthesize their knowledge by developing toy figures that could potentially educate children about different scientific...
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Remote Control
Learners explore and evaluate several distance learning Web sites. They defend whether or not they would like to participate in the distance learning experience by either writing a proposal for including this distance learning project...